Drainable ferrule valve design

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for inoculating a sample to or withdrawing a sample from a vessel or conduit includes a body with an internal sample cavity, a valve operating rod movable to open and close an orifice to the sample cavity and a coupler to attach the body to a port of the vessel or conduit. A portion of the sample cavity is formed by an endcap which includes the orifice. The sample cavity is thermally and/or electrically insulated from the vessel or conduit. This insulation can arise from an empty or filled space between an inner wall and outer wall of the valve. Otherwise, insulating material can be used in forming the valve. The valve can be mountable on the vessel or conduit such that a positive drain angle is maintained regardless of whether the ferrule to the vessel or conduit is inclined upwardly, downwardly or is horizontal.

This application is a Continuation of co-pending application Ser. No.09/688,143, filed on Oct. 16, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 09/122,629, filed Jul. 27, 1998, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,133,022, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 08/613,586, filed Mar. 12, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,209, whichis a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/215,416, filed Mar. 21,1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,301, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 07/911,052, filed Jul. 9, 1992, now U.S. Pat.No. 5,296,197, the entire contents of each of these applications ishereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an automated sample extractor orfeeder/inoculator and a removable manual override operator for a vesselor conduit. This vessel or conduit can be a bioreactor or other similarequipment.

2. Description of the Background Art

Development of new or more efficient commercialization of existingproducts requires faster and more effective methods to measure processvariables. This is particularly true in processes which require cellculture and fermentation processes conducted in bioreactors where theaccuracy of measurements in the research and development are criticalfor achieving economic production of high purity and highly refined endproducts.

Some factors which must be controlled include temperature and pressure.These factors are easily measured by utilizing standard sensors.However, many other factors can be measured only by removing samples forexternal laboratory analysis. The frequency of sample extraction fortesting and measurement, number of tests on each sample and the timeconstraints on the process vary widely as do the methods and equipmentused to obtain the samples.

In most cases, measurement processes for variables do not lendthemselves to in-situ measurement by remote sensors directly in theprocess. Instead, samples must be physically extracted from the processand examined and manipulated outside the vessel or conduit. Before thisexamination and manipulation process can be carried out, a safe,effective means of sample extraction must be made available. By “safe”here we mean that the process should remain as unaffected by the act oftaking a sample as possible as the sample itself should. Besides beingsafe and effective, the means of sample removal should also take intoconsideration that the character of sample material taken from one placeis very likely to differ from that taken from another place. Therefore,it is important to provide a means by which sample material can beremoved from the vessel from a location where its character correlateswell with information being derived from in-situ sensor measurements aswell as with the character of the bulk of the process material. As suchthe means for removing material would best be one that also can beflexibly incorporated new or existing systems such as into existing(angled) ferrules and, at the same time, provide a means of sampling theprocess in the same area as is sampled by other in-situ measurementsensors.

The prior art provides for removal of sample material but does notprovide features that could adequately address issues concerning thequality of the material as a representative sample of the process northe ability to be effectively incorporated into existing system. Many ofthe prior art designs do not lend themselves easily to use as a retrofitbut, instead, require substantial modification to the system forinstallation or repositioning. An apparatus should minimize or eliminatethe dangers associated with the sampling process in an efficient andcost effective manner while providing quality, reproducible results inorder to be of value for commercial application.

When working with samples, especially hazardous samples, it is necessaryto remove or feed/inoculate material without endangering the integrityof the process, subsequently sampled material, the operator or theoutside environment. Many prior art devices are unsatisfactory in thisarea.

Also, some prior art systems are not automated. Therefore, there ispotential danger posed by human procedural errors which could easilyresult in operator and environmental exposure. Accordingly, a needexists for an automatable apparatus with the capacity for independentverification of equipment operation built in.

There is a need for an automated system which offers a quick,easy-to-use means to override the automation apparatus. Sampling is mostimportant in processes of which relatively little is known. Theapparatus should be one that is easily incorporated into new andexisting systems in one or more places in a cost-effective way, allowingmaterial to be removed or added to the process at multiple points sothat the optimal means for monitoring and controlling the process can beestablished. Once defined, unnecessary or redundant devices should beeasily removed from the process without adversely affecting the processbut these devices should, ideally also remain intact and unaffected sothat they may be readily used again in other process development,monitoring and control applications.

There always is a need to collect unanticipated samples. In providingthis means, it is critical that the apparatus should be able to provideessentially identical samples in either case (i.e. manual or automatedmode). Furthermore, the materials being sampled themselves are oftenexpensive. Therefore, excessive removal of sample should be avoided. Inthe existing art, rotating cams and rotating knobs or handwheels areusually the means employed to open and close sampling valves. Thesedesigns require the operator to move their arm or, at least their hand,through a range of motion of 90-180 degrees or more. In the very bestconditions this motion will take at least 1.0 second to perform a fullcycle (open and close). Since most sample port apertures are 5 mm ormore in diameter, it is very likely that 30 ml or more of processmaterial will flow out between the time the valve is opened and closed.Usually the volume of sample required is small, often 50 ml or less.

As a consequence, one of two events occurs. Either a relatively largeamount of sample material is wasted or the technician must resort to“throttling” the valve (partially opening it). Since process material iseither valuable, hazardous or there is a need for cleanliness, there isa tendency of technicians to resort to throttling the valve to morecarefully and accurately control the flow of sampling material. However,“throttling” can significantly alter the sample in two important ways.

First, the smaller, more fluid elements of the sample will more easilypass through the constricted opening rather than the larger, moreviscous elements. The result is a selective removal, or sieving out, ofthe larger, more viscous elements from the sample.

Second, those elements that do pass through the crevice will have beensubjected to high levels of shear, possibly significantly altering theirphysical and chemical properties, changing them from the desiredrepresentative subsample of process populations and conditions.

An effective means to minimize this effect will require the valve to beopened to a full open position until enough sample is drawn at whichtime the valve must be rapidly closed. Automated actuation usingelectromagnetic solenoids or pneumatic actuators which have only twoposition, “open” or “closed”, are much more preferable over “throttling”or “positioning” actuators.

Likewise, to eliminate sample bias in a manually operated valve, amanual motion which can be rapidly translated into full articulation ofthe operating rod from fully “closed” to fully “opened” and back must berealized. The fastest (articulating) elements in humans, besides theeyes, are the fingers. A “flick” or “snap” of the fingers takes afraction of a second. Since most sample particles are much smaller thanthe range of motion used in a single flick of a finger, direct couplingof finger motion to actuation of the operating rod of the sampling valvepresents an effective solution. Furthermore, because of the relativelysmall cross sectional area of sampling orifice and the relativelymoderate pressures used in most (biological) manufacturing processes,little or no gear reduction will be required to overcome the tension ofa “fail close” return spring operating on valve operating rod to closeand form a seal at the orifice. The mechanism described here can easilyand quickly be removably connected to valves with automated mechanisms.When manual sampling is necessary, trigger-action control can provide amore physically and chemically representative subsample of the processwith more precise control of sampling volumes with less wasting ofmaterial.

When removing or adding material to a process, it is often desirable tomaintain the aseptic integrity of the process as well as protect thesurrounding environment. As such it is important that material from theprevious removal or addition operation not contaminate the environment,the process or the current sample material. Loss of a sample run orcontamination of the process can have extremely expensive ramifications.Therefore, it is important to add material or obtain a sample withoutthe procedure causing contamination.

Many prior art devices permit accumulation or pooling of samples orcleansing medium. When the device is first used this may not create aproblem; however, upon subsequent runs, the sample material or materialadded to the process through the device may be contaminated, or atleast, diluted.

Additionally in the prior art, technology used for taking samples isgenerally unsatisfactory for feeding/inoculating the vessel orcontainer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to providean apparatus for moving flowable material either in an automated ormanual fashion into a vessel or conduit (an inoculation apparatus) or tomove flowable material from the vessel or conduit (a sample extractor).

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus whichcan be retrofitted to existing standard tank port holes withoutrequiring equipment modification.

It is the further object of the invention to provide means to retrofitthe present invention into existing tanks port holes of differentlengths or to be installed in a penetrating configuration, equivalent toother in-situ sensors.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus whichwill provide a representative subsample of the process composition whichwill better correlate with in-situ sensor measurements, even inapplications involving heat labile or electrically sensitive materials.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an automated andmanual means of sampling the process, the results of either being ofequivalent quality and equally being representative of the process.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a means by which manualand automated operators can be added, removed or exchanged from thevalve while it is in service and without jeopardizing the asepticintegrity of either the process or the outside environment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device that has a safetycatch so that the valve cannot accidentally be opened.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide within the samemeans a way to lock the valve in the open position to facilitate thetaking of large volume of samples.

A further object of the apparatus is to provide a means by which samplescan be safely and reliably taken automatically without having to worryabout injury to someone who could be caught unaware standing near or upagainst the device when it automatically actuates. A corollary to thisis that blockage to the mechanical elements and interference with sampletaking is also avoided.

Still another object of the present invention is to eliminate orminimize the dangers of the sampling process such as contamination ofthe sample, process or surrounding environment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatuswhich will conduct a sampling and maintain the sample in sealedarrangement such that there will be no danger to the sample itself or tothe operator, the process and the surrounding environment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatablesystem to eliminate operator error.

It is the object of the invention to provide means for effectivelyduplicating automated action in a manual override mechanism.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide for a built-inverification of proper operation of the apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sampleapparatus which avoids contact of the sample with dynamic (sliding orrotating) seals, thereby avoiding potential sites for accumulation ofcarryover contaminants.

A further object of the present invention is to eliminate the usualstatic crevice areas which may collect contaminates but yet areinaccessible to cleaning and sterilization agents and thus eliminatesareas which might harbor carryover contaminants.

It is a further object of the present invention to avoid dead (stagnant)spaces in the apparatus which would result in samples that are not trulyreflective of the process.

Yet another object of the present invention is to avoid obstacles orbarriers to free drainage of the samples, not only when the device isinstalled in portholes with down-sloping or horizontal interior axes oforientation but also even when the device is installed in portholes withpositive interior axes of orientation relative to horizontal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a relationshipthat relates the diameter of the valve sampling orifice to the angle oforientation of the porthole's internal axis with horizontal, theporthole's internal diameter and the length of the porthole's internalbottom margin, providing a means to design valves to fit in existingportholes while maintaining the capability to be free-draining as doesthe invention in its latest embodiment.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a flushingarrangement for the apparatus whereby contaminants and other materialwill be forced from the system.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to avoid excess processvoid volume inside the apparatus which would result in sample volumemeasurement difficulties and material wastage.

Still another object of the present invention is to avoid passive“breathing” between the seals of the apparatus and the outsideenvironment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus whichcan be repeatedly cleaned and/or sterilized in place.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means by which samplescan be extracted from within the body of the process closer to where thesensors take their readings rather then at the margins (of vessels orconduits) where samples are taken as when using prior art devices.

It is an additional object of the invention to minimize the amount ofthermal and/or electrical exchanged between the apparatus and theprocess within the vessel or conduit, especially during heatsterilization cycles, even though the device may be installed in aconfiguration where in the sampling orifice may be positioned wellwithin the body of the process fluid.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatuswhich can easily be removed and quickly disassembled for maintenance,including replacement of worn parts.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatuswhose materials are compatible with the sample materials and theprocess.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a low costapparatus which can effectively carry out sampling or inoculation.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatuswhich will be reliable, easy to maintain and low cost.

Another object of the present invention is to provide multiple usecapability of the apparatus including feeding/inoculation as well assampling.

These and other objects of the present invention are fulfilled byproviding an apparatus for moving a sample of flowable material througha port in a wall of a vessel or conduit. Thus, this apparatus can eitherfeed in or withdraw materials.

The apparatus comprises a body having an internal cavity with an endwall and an orifice in that end wall. The valve body, walls near the endwall and the endwall, itself, may be at least one of hollow or coated orfabricated of at least one of a thermally or electrically insulatingmaterial. The purpose of the hollow, coated or insulating materialcharacter being one of isolating the thermal and/or electrical internalvalve sterilization and/or operating process from the heat and/orelectrically sensitive process material it may (from time to time) comeinto contact with. Means (a threaded collar or clamp, for example) whichis fixed or adjustable in position along the body is provided forcoupling the body to the port in the vessel or conduit. Where isolationof the process from the valve components is necessary, a diaphragm valveis positioned within the internal cavity of the body. Where a diaphragmis necessary to isolate the process, it would incorporate a sealing tipto close off the sampling orifice, said sealing tip being connected toand continues with a flexing diaphragm which can be removably anchoredto the valve body so as to isolate the mechanical components andcrevices from the process, two embodiments of the diaphragm valve beingone with a diaphragm with a (blind) bulbous tip and a rubber bellowswith a tubular body and a blunt sealing tip or one with a long shaftwith a (blind) blunt sealing tip at one end and a (conical) flexing baseat the other. The tip of the diaphragm can be moved to close or open theorifice. The body of the valve is spaced from the interior surfaces ofthe internal cavity to thereby define a sample cavity. This samplecavity is communicable with the orifice. A valve operating rod isattached to the blunt sealing tip and is moved by an appropriate driveto open and close the orifice.

The valve operating rod extends out the rear of the valve through aplate attached to the rear wall of the valve. This plate (may) includeseals that isolate the valve interior from the outside environment.

A manual valve actuator, including a leverage adjustable triggermechanism, a safety catch, a secondary return spring with spring tensionadjustment and a stroke-limiting backstop, may be removable connected tothe valve body and operating rod at the back of the valve. An automatedactuator can also be removable added at the same point with the triggermechanism being removed and, if desired, reattached onto the rear wallof the automated actuator. The valve operation, therefore, can be eithermanually or automatically driven, the manual method being one of afinger controlled trigger action mechanism while the automated methodbeing one employing a pneumatic, electromagnetic or other acceptablemeans of actuation. The results in all cases are essentially the sameback and forth articulation of the valve operating rod resulting inopening and closing of the valve.

An inlet passage leads to the sample cavity of the body. In someinstances where cleaning and sterilizing can be performed through thesampling orifice, the inlet passage may be eliminated. In practice, ifit is present, a restriction is that it also unobstructedly drain downto the drain hole and be connected with the internal cavity.

A drainage trough (or channel) formed in the (anterior portion of the)body leads away from the orifice in the sample cavity of the body tosome lowest point within the internal cavity from which material may bedrained out of the cavity. The bottom of this channel forms a pathbetween the orifice and the drain opening, the path having an angle or;angles of declination to it so that, when installed in a ferrule, theangle of declination of the path is always greater than that of theferrule. The sides and the rear wall of the internal cavity all haveunobstructed paths that drain down to the drain opening exiting thevalve which, when in combination with the forward drainage trough leaddown to the drain opening lowest point in the internal cavity and form adrainage basin with unobstructed drainage capabilities over a wide rangeof installation angles. This drain trough or channel has a longitudinalaxis which is noncoaxial with the longitudinal axis of the portion ofthe valve body which can be inserted into the porthole.

In one arrangement, steam, air and/or a wash medium can be suppliedthrough the inlet passage, sample cavity and out the drain passage inorder to clean the interior of the apparatus. With the tip of the valvemoved to open the orifice, the sample can then be extracted from thevessel or conduit through the sample cavity and out the drain passage.This sample will be fed to means for collecting the sample.

When the apparatus is used for feeding or inoculating, material isnormally fed through the inlet passage. This diaphragm valve isretracted and the feed or inoculate is forced through the inlet passage,past the diaphragm valve into the vessel or conduit.

In some case only one passage into or out of the valve is necessary inaddition to the orifice. In these cases the washing and sterilizing ofthe valve can be done through the orifice at the beginning and end ofthe process or, in the case of feeding, by making use of the drainpassage by reversing flows as necessary.

If, when the adjustable collar is positioned part way forward along thebarrel of the valve and the tip of the valve is flush with the insidewall of the vessel, the collar may be repositioned all the way back onthe barrel of the valve and reinserted into the ferrule. Now thesecondary o-ring in the valve cap forms the seal with the ferrule andthe tip of the valve will protrude beyond the margins of the vessel intothe body of the process in a fashion similar to that of in-situ sensors.Since this is the region where the sensors take their readings, takingsamples from this area will correlate better with sensor readings.Alternatively there may only be one o-ring groove along the barrel andthe valve may always be installed in a protruding fashion or, if theuser does not need to remove the device, the barrel may be permanentlyaffixed into the wall of the vessel or conduit in either the flush orprotruding fashion, thereby eliminating the need for the o-ring grooveand the adjustable collar.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitativeof the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 a is a perspective view showing the apparatus of the presentinvention attached to a vessel;

FIG. 1 b is a perspective, sectional view showing the apparatus of thepresent invention without the endcap of the valve body;

FIG. 2 is a side, sectional view of the valve and end plate with themanual trigger actuator attached;

FIG. 2 a is a cross section of a valve assembly (made of insulatingmaterial) without an actuator in an inclined ferrule, penetrating intothe body of a vessel or conduit;

FIG. 2 b is a cross section of the spring backstop, spring sleeve andfull view of the spring;

FIG. 2 c is a cross section of the diaphragm backstop;

FIG. 2 d is a cross section of a diaphragm with a conical base;

FIG. 2 e shows the variables used to design a valve for retrofit into anexisting ferrule, particularly an inclined ferrule;

FIG. 2 f is a side cross sectional view of a portion of the valveassembly without an interior portion of the valve housing above thedrain passage removed;

FIG. 2 g is a side cross sectional view similar to FIG. 2 f, but with aportion of the valve housing above the drain passage removed;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the apparatus of the present inventionused as an extractor;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of some of the various parts associated withthe valve;

FIG. 5 is a perspective end view of the rear valve operating nut shownin FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective end view of the non-rotating spacer andstabilizer pin shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective end view of the bushing shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an exploded side view of the valve operating rod and valveoperating rod cap;

FIG. 9 is an end view of the valve operating rod;

FIG. 10 is an end view of the valve operating rod cap;

FIG. 11 is a side, sectional view showing the endcap of the valve body;

FIG. 12 is a side, partial sectional view of the apparatus of theinstant invention showing the means for coupling the apparatus to aferrule of an apparatus or conduit, an end cap of a valve subassemblybeing omitted for clarity;

FIG. 13 a is a perspective, orthogonal side, sectional view of anadjustable coupling means

FIG. 13 b is a side, sectional view of an alternative adjustablecoupling means;

FIG. 14 is a perspective, sectional view of a backend plate in positionbetween the valve and the manual trigger actuator assembly the means forcoupling;

FIG. 15 is a perspective, side view of the disassembled means forcoupling;

FIG. 16 is a perspective sectional view from the rear of theincorporation of an automated pneumatic actuator into the valve-manualtrigger actuator assembly;

FIG. 17 is a perspective, sectional view of the manual trigger actuatorassembly;

FIG. 18 is a schematic end view showing the inlet passage and outletpassage;

FIG. 19 is a side, sectional view illustrating the positioning of theinlet passage and drain passage of the apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the present invention attached to agenerally horizontal ferrule;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view of the instant invention showing theapparatus connected to a downwardly sloping ferrule;

FIG. 22 is a schematic view of the instant invention showing theapparatus attached to an upwardly sloping ferrule;

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of the instant apparatus used as afeeder/inoculator;

FIG. 24 is a view similar to FIG. 13 showing the apparatus extendingbeyond the interior wall of the vessel or conduit;

FIG. 25 is a schematic view showing the operation of certain valves inthe instant apparatus; and

FIG. 26 is an example of a timing chart for one operation of the instantinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the context of these discussions, “ferrule” and “porthole” may beused interchangeably. Furthermore, throughout these discussions aferrule is discussed as though it had a round cross section with auniform concentric central throughbore terminating on the process side(front) flush with the interior vessel or conduit wall. Also through outthese discussion an example is used where in all parts are aligned in aplane that forms a vertical cross section through the assembly. All ofthese cases are selected both because they are the simplest arrangementto understand and would probably also be the most likely arrangement tobe used. It should be understood, however, that many other relatedarrangements will become obvious once the design concepts and associatedequations presented here are understood. Some examples would includeoffsetting elements of the system such as passages, modifying shapessuch as round or oblong profiles, changing sealing arrangements fromo-rings to diaphragms or vice versa. In some cases such as in the caseof offsetting passages, these may result in the need to augment ormodify certain formulas provided herein to bring them in line with themodified configuration. These changes, however, would be obvious to oneknowledgable in the field once they have read and understood thedescription provided herein and, therefore, should be considered anextension of the art revealed within this description.

It is assumed in this discussion that the design goal is a valve thatcan be removably fitted into a ferrule. If the designer wishes toinstall the valve body permanently into the vessel or conduit, the valueof the relationships described herein are not lost since they can stillbe used to achieve the same goal of providing a valve capable of freelydraining from a port installed in a configuration that is inclined froma horizontal plane.

It is one of the purposes of this invention to provide means of assuringthat when the embodiment of the valve is installed in a ferrule of avessel or conduit, the lowest point of the valve's orifice 16 will beabove the down-directed drain opening 33 (the drain opening being afree-draining exit from the valve located beyond the rear-most bottommargin of the ferrule where a drain would no longer be restricted bybeing within the geometric confines of the ferrule) and that these twowill be connected by a drainage trough within the internal cavity of thevalve, trough having a bottom profile from the orifice opening to theopening of the drain opening that continuously declines at an anglegreater than the angle of inclination of the axis of the ferrule'sinternal bore when the valve is installed in the ferrule and thatinclines to the sides and to the rear from the drain opening 33. Whetheror not free drainage through a flush-mounting (with the internal wall ofthe vessel or conduit) or penetrating (into the process, beyond theinternal wall of the vessel or conduit) valve is achievable when mountedwithin the fixed geometry of an existing ferrule depends on threecharacteristics of the ferrule (as installed in the vessel or conduit).These characteristics will be discussed with reference to FIG. 2 e

Referring specifically to FIG. 2 e, ferrule 2 has an internal bore 3with three characteristic features:

1) a diameter Df of internal bore 3;

2) an angle Aa of the axis of internal bore 3 measured relative to ahorizontal plane, with an inclined bore 3 have a positive angular valve,a declining bore having a negative value and the value of Aa for ahorizontal bore being “0”;

3) Lf, the actual length of the bottom margin 56 of ferrule 2, measuredfrom a point (Pr) formed by the bottom rearmost margin 8 of bore 3forward to the point along the bottom margin 56 where bore 3 opens intothe process and is flush with the internal wall of the vessel orconduit.

The length Lf of internal bore 3 can be broken into Lfh, its horizontalcomponent, and Div, its vertical component. Lfh can be calculated:Lfh=Lf COS (Aa)

When a ferrule is inclined, the bottom rear margin at point Pr rises uplike a wall and becomes the high point of a barrier to free drainagefrom within the ferrule. In order to get beyond that barrier it isnecessary to build a drainage trough 18 in the valve that, wheninstalled in the valve 13 will provide an inlet at the process, theorifice 16, whose lower margin 20 forms the beginning of the trough 18and which passes above or above and to the side of the bottom rearmargin 8 of bore 3 down to an outlet 22 beyond the confines of theferrule, the beginning of drainage trough 20 at the base of orifice 16being above the outlet of the trough 21 and where the trough constructedwithin the valve body that continuously descends at an angle greaterthan the angle of inclination of the axis of the ferrule's internal bore3 when the valve is installed in the ferrule. A horizontal plane can beimagined to extend forward from point Pr wherein the drain trough,beginning at the lower margin 20 of orifice 16 and passing back, justover and then beyond point Pr, is always above said plane but movingcloser to it as the trough descend toward Pr, passing close but stillabove Pr and then beyond it to a point where it is free of the ferruleand can be drained out of the system. Thus, the start of the drainagetrough 20 (which is coincident with the base of the orifice) and thetrough all of the way back to a point just beyond point Pr must be abovethis imagined horizontal plane in order for the valve to freely drainprocess though inclined bore 3 in ferrule 2 beyond the point Pr.

The vertical component, Div of Lf, is the diametric height lost in orderto off set bore inclination. Div can be calculated anywhere along thebottom margin 56 of bore 3 by using the value of Lf at that point andangle of inclination Aa of the internal bore 3. For a flush-mountingdesign, the full value of Lf would be used and the calculation would beas follows:Div=Lf SIN (Aa)

In order to actually achieve free drainage, it is necessary to haveimpart some minimum angle of declination to drainage trough 20 that isin excess of the offset to angle Aa created by the diametric loss Div.The determination of what is a sufficient positive drain angle, Ab, isdependent on the process. The amount of diametric height necessary tocreate Ab in drainage trough 20 at any point along the bottom margin ofbore 3 can be calculated by using the value of Lf at that point and Ab.For a flush mounted valve, the full value of Lf would be used:Ddv=[(Lf) COS (Aa)][TAN (Ab)]

When a ferrule is installed at an inclined angle, the area where itsinternal bore intersects with a vertical plane such as the case with avertical internal wall of a vessel or conduit changes from beingcircular to being elliptical in cross section (except in some compoundangle cases). The major axis of the ellipse that forms the margin of theopening of the ferrule bore into the vessel or conduit we call thevertical diametric axis or the ferrule bore diametric height, Dfv, canbe calculated:Dfv=(Df)/[COS (Aa)]

The point tangent to the upper margin of this opening is (Pt) and willbe discussed later.

The diametric height, Dfv, is the vertical height of the internaldiameter of the ferrule. It is the composite sum of several diametriccomponents. Its value is important because if it is great enoughrelative to Lf and to Aa, a valve which will be free draining whilemounted in an inclined ferrule can be constructed.

The diametric height Dfv of internal bore 3 of ferrule 2 is composed of:

Dov: Diametric height for orifice construction.

Div: Diametric height lost due to inclination of bore 3 in ferrule 2.

Ddv: Diametric height to assure channel drainage (beyond thehorizontal).

Dr1: Diametric space required to make a seal on the upper outsidediameter of the valve body 13 with bore 3 of ferrule 2.

Dr2: Diametric space required to make a seal on the lower outsidediameter of the valve body 13 with bore 3 of ferrule 2.

Dv1: Diametric space required to form the upper margin of annular wall17 of the valve body 13 against which a seal is formed when the uppermargin of sealing tip 30 engages the upper margin of annular wall 17.

Dv2: Diametric space required to form the lower margin of annular wall17 of the valve body 13 against which a seal is formed when the lowermargin of sealing tip 30 engages the lower margin of annular wall 17.

Dw1: Diametric space required to form the outer wall at the upper marginof the valve body 13.

Dw2: Diametric space required to form the outer wall at the lower marginof the valve body 13 or some minimum wall thickness of the bottom marginof drain trough 18 in order to allow material to flow over point Pr anddown to the drain opening beyond.

Ds1: Diametric space required to allow for the interstitial spacebetween the ID of the ferrule 2 and the OD of the valve body 13 alongthe body's upper margin.

Ds2: Diametric space required to allow for the interstitial spacebetween the ID of the ferrule 2 and the OD of the valve body 13 alongthe body's lower margin.

In order to be able to construct a free draining valve mounted inferrule 2:Dfv>or=[(Dr1+Dr2)+(Dv1+Dv2)+(Dw1+Dw2)+(Ds1+Ds2)+Dov+Div+Ddv]

This equation can be solved for Dov:Dov<or=Dfv−[(Dr1+Dr2)+(Dv1+Dv2)+(Dw1+Dw2)+(Ds1+Ds2)+Div+Ddv]

The contribution of interstitial space is usually negligible or isdifficult to differentiate from the external sealing arrangementelements so it may be folded into Dr1 and Dr2, simplifying the equationto:Dov<or=Dfv−[(Dr1+Dr2)+(Dv1+Dv2)+(Dwv1+Dw2)+Div+Ddv]

Since wall thicknesses, sealing arrangements, interstitial space andannular seal arrangements are all determined by specific processrequirements, manufacturing materials and methods which may be heldconstant for a range of different ferrule and valve configurations, aconstant C may substituted for them and the equation rewritten as:Dfv>or=(Dov+Div+Ddv+C)Or:Dov<or=Dfv−[Div+Ddv+C]Or:Ddv<or=Dfv−[Div+Dov+C]

It is important to find the optimal combination of both the orifice sideand the drainage angle in order to get the best drainage from thesystem.

In order to determine if it is possible to build a valve that will drainfrom positions within the process or from positions within the ferrule,an effective internal bore length, Lfe can be substituted into theequations for Lf. Lfe is the measured length along the bottom margin 56of bore 3 from Pr to the point that would be coaxial with a verticalaxis passing through the point 20 selected for the bottom margin of theopening of the orifice 16 into drainage trough 18. A penetrating valvedesign has the effect of lengthening the ferrule bore length. A longerinclined ferrule bore length results in larger values of Div and Ddv inorder to maintain the steady drop over a longer effective ferrulelength. This, in turn, results in less residual diametric height for thesampling orifice as well as other structural elements of the valve. Ifthe diameter Df of bore 3 is too small, the angle Aa too steep or thelength of penetration too great, all of the diametric height availablein a particular ferrule installation may not be enough to compensate forthe values of Div and Ddv as well as other valve diametric components.In this case it would not be possible to build a free draining valve.

For penetrating or flush-mounting valve designs, when a horizontal planethrough Pr is also coplanar with Pt or when this plane passes above Pt,no free draining valve may be constructed. It is always necessary withpenetrating or flush mounting designs that at least the lower margin ofdrainage trough 18 pass under point Pt with sufficient vertical spacebetween the two such that the construction of the valve structuralcomponents necessary above the trough can be accomplished and yet stillallow some vertical height so that flow can be achieved down the trough,past Pt.

For a system (valve and ferrule) which includes a valve with an orificeformed within the confines of the ferrule, the position of Pt is notrelevant since flow can move the ferrule to and through the orifice(assuming the level of fluid in the vessel or conduit is also above thelevel of the orifice). In the situations where the orifice is within theferrule bore, the new Pt is the point that is the upper margin of theferrule bore located in a vertical plane that also passes through thelower margin of orifice 16. In fact, Pt can always be defined as thepoint that is the upper margin of the ferrule bore located in a verticalplane that also passes through the lower margin of orifice 16 and, inthe construction of the valve, it is merely necessary that the troughoriginating at the base of orifice 16 descend at some angle whileinstalled in the ferrule but still pass above point Pr or above and tothe side of Pr on its.

In some large vessels equipped with relatively long steeply angled smalldiameter ferrules, it is not even possible to construct flush-mountingvalve arrangements. In these cases the best that can be accomplished isto draw the position of the orifice back up into the ferrule internalbore to appoint where there is sufficient diametric height toaccommodate all of the necessary valve structural elements, including asufficiently large orifice and a steep enough slope for the drainagetrough. This situation is less than optimal since positioning theorifice up inside a ferrule places it in a “quiet” zone which will tentto stray in character from the more highly mixed body proper of theprocess.

Referring in detail to FIG. 1 a, a vessel 53 to which the instantapparatus A will be attached is shown. It should be appreciated that theinstant invention can be attached to a vessel with a static charge or toa conduit with a static or movable charge. Because this vessel itself ofFIG. 1 a is not a part of the instant invention, it is shown in dottedlines. As will be discussed below, this apparatus A can be mounted onthe top, side or bottom of the vessel or conduit.

The vessel 53 has a ferrule 1 on the side thereof. Conventional ferrules1 have a 25 mm intelnal diameter, for example. A main body 10 of theinstant apparatus A has been designed to have an outer diametergenerally equal to or slightly less than a standard ferrule diameter.While this 25 mm dimension has been given, it should be recognized thatit is merely necessary to have the outer diameter of the body 10 of theinstant apparatus A slightly less than the inner diameter of anyexisting size ferrule. The instant apparatus A of any size can thereforebe easily retrofit to existing vessels or conduits with ports of anysize. Of course, the instant apparatus can also be assembled to newlymanufactured vessels or conduits.

The necessary equipment for either charging a sample to the vessel orconduit 53 or removing a sample from the vessel or conduit 53 isprovided through body 10 of the instant apparatus. Therefore, it is notnecessary to alter existing equipment when using the instant invention.This arrangement provides for easy retrofit with standard designedvessels or conduits.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the instant apparatus A will be described in moredetail. A main sample subassembly 2 is shown connected to back end plate118 and a manual trigger actuator mechanism subassembly 108. The mainbodies of both of these subassemblies can be machined from a singlepiece of metal (plastic or other material) thereby providing a single,one-piece, unitary structure. By making each of these elements a singlepiece, the need for several additional junctions can be eliminated withthe instant apparatus. Each such junction would represent a potentialpoint for contamination, misalignment or malfunction. However, due tothe unique sealing arrangements and overall design of the main samplesubassembly and the trigger mechanism subassembly of the instantinvention, it is not mandatory to use subassemblies machined from singlepieces of metal or other material. These subassemblies can, for example,be permanently affixed (welded, glued, etc.) into single unitsfunctioning essentially as single pieces.

The main sample subassembly 2 comprises a body 10 with an internalcavity 3. This cavity 3 includes a sample cavity 11 and a central bore13 which will be discussed in more detail below.

FIG. 3 shows a control means 4 connected to the apparatus A of theinstant invention. This means can be a programmable logic controller,computer operated controller or the like. A part of the control meansincludes a means for detecting 4 a. The operation of this control means4 and the means for detecting 4 a will be described in more detailbelow.

A supply means 50 is provided for supplying at least one of steam, airand wash medium to the apparatus. This supply means 50 helps maintain anaseptic environment. In some situations, steam alone is sufficient forcleansing the system. In other uses, it is necessary to use pure dry airor a wash medium. Moreover, any combination of these materials can beused. The wash medium can include detergents, alcohol, an alkalinerinse, acid rinse or other wash material. It should be evident that manydifferent arrangements can be used for cleaning and/or sterilizing theinstant invention.

The supply means 50 of the instant invention includes a steam feed valveblock 5, a pure dry air valve block 6 and a wash medium valve block 7.The steam feed valve block 5 includes a steam source 66 connected to adiaphragm pneumatic valve 67. Also connected to this valve 67 through anelectromagnetic valve 69 is a pressurized air source 68. It should benoted that any suitable type of automatic or manual valves 67 and 69 canbe used in the instant invention or that these two valves can becombined into a single unit.

The pressurized pure dry air valve block 6 includes a pure dry airsource 70. This pressurized pure dry air source 70 is connected todiaphragm pneumatic valve 71. Also connected to this valve 71 through anelectromagnetic valve 72 is a source of pressurized air 73. Similarly tovalves 67 and 69, it should be understood that any type of valve can beused for the valves 71, 72. Also, a single unit could replace these twovalves 71, 72.

The wash medium valve block 7 includes a supply of wash medium 74. Asnoted above, this wash medium can be a detergent wash, an alkaline wash,an acid wash, an alcohol wash or any suitable cleansing arrangement. Thesupply for wash medium 74 is connected to a diaphragm pneumatic valve75. Also connected to this valve 75 through an electromagnetic valve 76is a source of pressurized air 77. Again, similarly to valve 67, 69, 71and 72, any suitable valve or a single unit can be used for these valves75 and 76.

The electromagnetic valves 69, 72 and 76 are indicated as beingconnected to the control means 4. It should be noted that the diaphragmpneumatic valves 67, 71 and 75 are also connected to the control means4. It is merely necessary for the control means 4 to control supply ofsteam, pure dry air and/or wash medium to the inlet passage 12. Each ofthese mediums is connected to the inlet passage 12 through therespective valves 67, 71 and 75. Moreover, while three valve blocks 5, 6and 7 are shown, any of these can be omitted or additional valve blockscould be used as needed. Also, valves 69, 72 and 76 can be combined intoa single valve.

The inlet passage 12 is shown as being continuous from the main samplesubassembly 2 to the supply means 50. As noted above, this main samplesubassembly can be machined from a single block. Appropriate tubing,piping or other connectors can be used to connect the inlet passage 12bored within the main sample subassembly 2 to the supply means 50. Atri-clamp connection 15 connects this tubing or piping to the inletpassage within the main sample subassembly. It should be noted that itis usually possible to perform all of the functions normally expected ofthe above described inlet port through either the sampling orifice (33,described later) in combination with the drain passage 14. For thisreason in many cases it may be possible to eliminate the inlet port.

A drain passage 14 is also provided in the instant invention. This drainpassage can be bored within the main sample subassembly 2 or can bepiping connected to a downstream means for collecting a sample 51 andmeans for collecting drain 52. These means 51 and 52 will be discussedin more detail below. Similarly to the connection for the inlet passageat 15, the drain passage 14 has connection 16. Rather than using atri-clamp at the connections 15 and 16, any suitable connectionarrangement can be made.

Both the inlet passage 12 and drain passage 14 are connected to theinterior sample cavity 11 of body 10. This body 10 not only includessample cavity 11 but the central bore 13 which together form theabove-noted internal cavity 3.

Internal Portion of Valve

From the rear of sample valve 2, the valve operating rod 22 extendsforward through the central bore 123A of the a spring backstop 118Awhich will be discussed later and into the central bore 13 of body 10 asseen in FIG. 2A. Within central bore 13, rod 22 extends forward throughdiaphragm backstop 300. While the combination spring backstop 118A anddiaphragm backstop 300 are shown, it should be appreciated that anyappropriate arrangement can be used for mounting the valve operating rod22 in the body 10. By using such parts 118A and 300, however, assemblyand disassembly of the sample subassembly 2 can be easily carried out.

Extending between seat 86A of the spring backstop 118A the valveoperating rod detent 23 is a spring 27. This spring 27, shown in FIG. 2a, will urge the operating rod 22 away from the actuating means locatedto the rear. This will cause blunt sealing tip 32 of diaphragm 49A toclose the orifice 33 as will be discussed in more detail below. Byurging the tip 32 in this direction, the instant apparatus willautomatically close orifice 33 upon a power failure. Thus, safeoperation of the instant apparatus can be ensured.

Turning to FIG. 2 b, the spring backstop 118A is shown along with itscentral bore 123A and spring seat 86A. Also shown in this figure is ahexagonal rearward extension, rear hex 28A, with the central bore 123Aof spring backstop 118A also extending through it. Valve operating rod22 will, therefore, also extend through this bore when it is insertedthrough 118A. Also shown is spring sleeve 310, its rear face 311 andforward face 312.

In FIG. 2 c, diaphragm backstop 300 is shown with its parts, diaphragmdetent 301, backstop forward face 302, pressure seat 303, central bore304, backstop rear face 305, body seal o-ring groove 306, body sealo-ring 307, rod seal o-ring groove 308 and rod seal o-ring 309.

FIG. 2 d shows diaphragm 49A with its parts, blunt sealing tip 32, shank315, flexing cone 314, front base seal 317, back base seal 318, annularlip 313 and rod cavity 316.

FIG. 2 a illustrates the assembled sampling valve. The internal partsare assembled into the valve from the rear starting forward most withthe diaphragm and moving back. Assembly is as follows: Diaphragm 49A andvalve operating rod 22, which are shown together, may be assembled byslipping diaphragm 49A onto rod 22 from the rear of the diaphragm. Itshould be noted that the whole diaphragm, only a portion or none of thediaphragm might be molded onto rod 22. If the two are not moldedtogether, the rod 22 may be fitted into the diaphragm through theopening to its cavity 316 found in the center of the flexing cone base.

Once assembled, the diaphragm/rod combination can be slipped forwardthrough the back of body 10 until front base seal 317 engages the realannular diaphragm mating face 319. Diaphragm backstop 300 is slippedover the rear portion of rod 22 until its backstop forward face 302 anddiaphragm detent 301 engage back base seal 318 and annular slip 313 ofdiaphragm 49A. Next, valve operating rod detent 23 may be slipped ontothe rod and snapped into the groove on rod 22. Next, spring 27 can beslipped over rod 22 until its forward end engages the rear wall ofspring detent 23. Spring sleeve 310 can be slipped around spring 27 andinto the rear portion of central bore 13 of internal cavity 3 of body 10until the forward face 312 engages backstop rear face 305. Lastly,spring backstop 118A can be slipped over the rear portion of rod 22until its external threads engage the internal threads of body 10. Byapplying a hex wrench to rear hex 28A and tightening it into body 10,its forward face (spring seat 86A) will urge spring sleeve forwardagainst the backstop rear face 305 which in turn will press up againstthe back base seal 318 and annular lip 313, causing front base seal 317of diaphragm 49 to seal against the annular sealing surface of body 10.The tightening of spring backstop 118A also causes spring 27 to becompressed against the spring detent on rod 22, thereby urging theshaft's tip and the diaphragm sealing tip 32 against the annular sealingsurface about orifice 33.

When valve operating rod 22 is retracted, blunt sealing tip 32 will bewithdrawn from orifice 33, allowing material to flow into sample cavity11 and down and out drain 14. When the actuator is inactivated (whethera manual or automated device), the compressed spring 27 acting againstdetent 23 will urge blunt sealing tip 32 forward until it again thesealing surface about orifice 33. The blunt sealing tip 32 of diaphragm49A tends to form a good seal, helping to minimize deadspace at orifice33. Of course this blunt sealing tip can be configured in many ways. Itis merely necessary that an appropriate seal be formed with the orifice.

Spring detent 23A consists actually of a retainer ring fitted into aretainer ring slot 23B along rod 22. A washer can be added to form amore uniform mating surface with the spring.

Spring detent 23 can, of course, be an integral part of operating rod 22but if operating rod 22 is machined out of a solid bar stock rod, makingthe spring detent an integral part would simply mean more work since itwould require starting with thicker bar stock. In some cases, however,making this as one piece may be advantageous.

Alignment of the valve internal components can be seen. To the rear,alignment for the valve operating rod is provided by the bearingsurfaces of central bore 123 in spring backstop 118A and forward,alignment is provided by the bearing surfaces about o-ring grove 308 ofdiaphragm backstop 300.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 c both show the pressure seat 303. The space in front ofthis surface provides room for the conical portion 314 of the diaphragm49A to flex into. It also serves as a support structure in case thediaphragm is subjected to high pressures. The diaphragm may also bestrengthened by the incorporation of fibers during its construction.

While a diaphragm with a large sealing tip, a reduced diameter shank andlarge base is shown, it could be constructed in many other ways. It isonly important that there be associated with it an effective sealing tipand a shaft and base portions that allows the tip to be reciprocallyopened and closed without exposing the process or sampled material tothe mechanical components of the valve.

The use of a diaphragm 49 with conical flexing base 314 and blind bulbend 31A has several benefits. First, all of the moving mechanical parts(such as the valve operating rod 22A and other components associatedwith central bore 13) are removed from the sample in sample cavity 11.The diaphragm 49A with its conical flexing base 314 are made from abiocompatible rubber, plastic or metal material with thermal andchemical tolerant properties. Furthermore, these components are flexibleand have a wide range of motion. This great range of motion allows theapparatus to achieve a flush (or penetrating) mounting condition on avessel or conduit, even when retrofit to an existing design. Further,this design allows the blunt sealing tip 32 to be withdrawn from thesampling orifice 33 over a great distance. This facet allows theapparatus to provide minimal sample size bias for samples with particlesup to at least six mm size in this particular configuration.

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 show portions of another valve rod and diaphragmarrangement. A detailed discussion of these Figures can be found inparent applications Ser. No. 08/613,586 filed Mar. 12, 1996, the entirecontents of which, as noted above, are incorporated herein by reference.

In FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the valve operating rod 22 and valve operating rodcap 21 are shown. One end of this valve rod 22 has a thick annulargroove cut around it, resulting in a short section of narrow shaft, theconnector shaft 170. Behind that is the remaining short section oflarger diameter shaft, the connector cap 169. On the other end of rod 22are a set of male threads 87 to mate with the female threads 88 in cap21. These permit rod 22 to be screwed into cap 21. Of course, otherconnection arrangements can be made.

A discussion of the connection of the actuators and their connection tothe operating rod will be discussed below.

Blunt sealing tip 32 will assuredly seal orifice 33 and not deform andprotrude through the orifice 33, because the tip 32 is backed by a metalcap which gives solid support. Also, this cap 21 will prevent tip 32from sticking to the area around the orifice 33 when the operating rod22 is retracted.

Endcap

The orifice 33 is provided in the body 10 as seen in FIG. 2 a. Thisarrangement is made possible by the modification of the internalcomponents and the incorporation of the cap into the valve body. Thishas allowed the elimination of the set screws previously required tohold the endcap 44 in place. It has also allowed the elimination ofalignment concerns, o-ring 17 and groove 36 as well as the seamassociated with the o-ring and groove. This has also allowed thedevelopment of a smooth, crevice-free internal cavity which is capableof providing better drainage from sample valves installed in ferruleswith higher angles of inclination.

In FIG. 11 of the previous embodiment shows the double walled nature ofcap 44. The cap 44 has resulting features and benefits includingproperties. In this later embodiment where cap 44 is an integral part ofbody 10, the double wall nature of cap 44 along with the insulatingproperties can also be incorporated into body 10. Besides double walled,insulating properties can also be achieved having a single wall if thatwall is coated, inside and/or outside, with an insulating material.Lastly, insulating properties can be conferred onto a design byfabricating the design itself out of materials with highly insulatingproperties.

By appropriate selection of materials, body 10 can not only exhibitinsulating thermal properties but also electrical as well. Key among thebenefits of these insulating properties is the ability to protrude thesampling orifice into the body of a process that is heat labile. Thisallows the placement of a heat resterilizable sampling tip to be placedin a heat labile process in an area adjacent to where in-situmeasurements are being taken, significantly increasing the value of thesampled material and its relevance to the development effective processmonitoring and control.

To improve drainage from orifice 33 down and out of the sample cavity11, the inner walls of cap 44 in the previous embodiment were inclinedas could be seen in FIG. 11. These inner walls could be parallel to theouter walls of the cap 44 if so desired but the alternative inclinedarrangement would not be adversely affected if the apparatus A were usedin an inclined ferrule.

As will be discussed later, the forward end of the valve, including tip32, can be extended beyond the inner wall 56, where a stagnation layerforms to a greater or lesser degree, into the vessel or conduitinterior. By moving the sampling orifice 33 into the body of the fluid,interference from stagnating material along the margins is reduced,increasing the level of quality of representation that the sample has ofthe bulk of the process. The character of the sample will also correlatebetter with measurements taken from sensors since their sensing elementsare also positioned away from the wall in the bulk of the process. Inmany cases it is not sufficient to have only the ability, to withdrawala sample from deep within a tank, it is also important that the processbe thermal or electrically protected. The most recent embodiment of thevalve may include an insulated body in order to minimize any adverseeffects that might occur as a result of any thermal or electricaltreatments that may be done to the valve interior between samplingevents. These insulating properties will significantly improve theability to correlate in-situ sensor data with the actual conditions atthose points within the body of process by virtue of the currentinvention being capable of being installed with its sampling orificeadjacent to the sensors without adversely affecting the process.

Mounting to a Slanted Wall

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 12, the wall 56 of the vessel orconduit is shown as being slanted. It should be appreciated that manydifferent configurations for the vessel are also possible. The forwardend of the body 10 and/or cap 44 can be appropriately sloped in order tomate with the interior face of the wall 56. In so doing it is importantto assure that some seal such as an o-ring seal is formed between body10 or cap 44 and the inside wall of the ferrule adjacent to wall 56.

Coupler

In FIG. 13A, a means 57 is shown for coupling body 10 to ferrule 1. Thisspecial screw-type connection can be repositioned along a length of body10. This coupler, alone, allows body 10 to be fitted effectively, in aflush-mounting condition or otherwise, to ferrules having a variety ofdifferent lengths.

Around body 10 and extending for a distance forward from front side 91are a series of evenly spaced, uniform circumferential positioninggrooves 104. Movably positioned in front of front wall 91 of body 10 andaround body 10 is a short cylindrical positioning collar 175.Positioning collar 175 has a retainer flange 92 flush with its frontwall 91 a. Extending through flange 92 in radial fashion are a set ofthreaded through holes with set screws 178. These are evenly spacedaround its circumference. Leading away to the rear from the flange is asmaller diameter shoulder 176. Positioning collar 175 has a uniformcylindrical inside surface which allows it to move smoothly back andforth on body 10 when set screws 178 have been sufficiently loosened.Coupling nut 105, consisting of an internally threaded cylindricalsection 106 ending in a short inner annular lip 177, is positionedaround body 10, behind positioning collar 175. This inner annular lip isof a smaller diameter then the outer diameter of flange 92 but greaterthan that of shoulder 176. Thus, coupling nut 105 can be slipped forwardover shoulder 176 so that the forward wall of its inner annular lip 177can engage the rear wall of flange 92 but preventing it from everpassing around flange 92. The diameter of its inner threads are onlyslightly greater then the outside diameter of flange 92. The length ofset screws 178 in positioning collar 175 have been selected so thattheir heads will be flush with the outer surface of flange 92 only whenthey are threaded firmly down into one of the positioning grooves 104 onbody 10. The forward threaded portion 106 of coupling nut 105,therefore, cannot be slipped forward over set screws 178 and be made toengage with the external threads 107 of ferrule 1 until set screws 178are all tightened down firmly onto body 10. Coupling nut 105 can then betightened onto threads 107 of ferrule 1 until front wall 91 a ofpositioning collar 175 engages the rear wall of ferrule 1. With couplingnut 105 tightly fixed to ferrule 1 and covering set screws 178 which aretightened into a groove 104, and because inner annular lip 177 ofcoupling nut 105 can not slip by retainer flange 92, main samplesubassembly 2 is firmly but removably fixed to ferrule 1. Any othersubassemblies attached to subassembly 2 will, therefore, also be firmlybut removable attached to ferrule 1.

With coupling nut 105 pulled back and set screws 178 sufficientlyloosened, position collar 175 can be repositioned along body 10,allowing main sample subassembly 2 to be adjusted to fit differentlength ferrules or, in a given ferrule, to change its interface with theprocess from one of flush mounting to one of penetration.

Another means, illustrated in FIG. 13 b, though a little more complexand expensive, will now be described. The cross section shown in FIG. 13b only has a detailed showing and reference numerals included for theupper quarter part of the cross section shown. The description followsits assembly onto body 10. First, body 10 has an annular shoulder 181with a forward wall 91. A short cylindrical retainer sleeve 156 with aset of evenly spaced threaded holes 157 radiating outward, is slid overannular shoulder 181 of body 10 and is retained there by a retainer ring142 held in a groove 143 in annular shoulder 181 just behind forwardwall 91.

A coupling nut 105, consisting of a hollow cylindrical section with aforward internally threaded cylindrical section 106 having an innerannular lip 177 on the rear side thereof, can slide freely around therear portion of a positioning collar 175. The positioning collar 175consists of a long, relatively thin cylindrical sleeve or shoulder 176extending to the rear and with a set of screw through-holes 186 locatednear but not at its posterior margin. Forward, the positioning collar175 has a short, double flanged cylindrical section, the outer radiatingflange is retainer flange 92 while the inner radiating flange ispositioning flange 167 and the forward wall of both of these being theforward wall 91 a of positioning collar 175. There are a set oflongitudinal through holes 187 bored longitudinally through forward wall91 a and flange 167 adjacent to its inner annular margin. These holes187 are fitted with countersunk coupler positioning screws 180. Thesecoupler positioning screws 180 are held captive in flange 167 ofpositioning collar 175 from behind by retainer rings 158 riding ingrooves 188 in the screw shafts and from the front by the screw headswhich are counter sunk in the forward wall 91 a of positioning collar175.

The coupling nut 105 can be slipped onto the positioning collar 175 frombehind and held from slipping off the front by the retainer flange 92.With cylindrical retainer sleeve 156 already in place on shoulder 181 ofbody 10, the positioning collar 175 with the coupling nut 105 alreadyaround it can be slipped around body 10 from the front. Positioningscrews 180 can be threaded into the longitudinal holes 189 in the frontwall 91 of body 10. When these screws 180 are threaded in holes 189 farenough, screw holes 186 of the shoulder 176 will align with the threadedholes 157 in the cylindrical retainer sleeve 156. At that point, asecond set of screws 185 are fitted through holes 186 in shoulder 176and tightened radially into threaded holes 157 in cylindrical sleeve156. Once these screws 185 are tightened, coupling nut 105 is capturedbehind retainer flange 92 of positioning collar 175 on body 10.Furthermore, the position of flange 92 and forward wall 91 a whichengages the back wall of ferrule 1 during coupling, can be adjustedalong body 10 relative to the position of orifice 33 simply by threadingscrews 180 in or out of holes 189 in body 10. Thus, sampling subassembly2 can be custom fit to vessels and conduits with a variety of ferrulelengths as well as providing a means to couple the apparatus in apenetrating fashion in a ferrule of given length.

Because the forward advance of the coupling collar 175 is stopped by theengagement of the forward wall of cylindrical retainer sleeve 156 withthe rear wall of retainer ring 142 before the longitudinal screws can bethreaded out of their respective holes, a user cannot inadvertentlydisengaged the coupler 57 from the valve, a potentially dangerous eventshould the vessel then be pressurized.

O-rings and grooves to receive the o-rings can be added along the insidecircumferential surfaces of cylindrical retainer sleeve 156 andpositioning flange 167 to inhibit this region from collecting dirt.

A third method of removably attaching the main sample subassembly 2 isshown in FIG. 1 b. This arrangement is even simpler than the designsshown in FIGS. 13 a and 13 b. Here, a helical thread 186 is providedaround the circumference of the forward end of the main body 10 in frontof the front side 91. This thread 186 takes the place of the positioninggrooves 104. A positioning collar 175 with a rear annular lip can bethreaded on thread 186. This allows for an infinite number of adjustmentpositions over the threaded range. The threads would not allow thepositioning collar 175 to become disengaged unless the collar wasthreaded too far forward. Such a problem could be avoided by placing a(low profile) retainer ring at the forward end of the threads. When thepositioning collar 175 was farthest forward, it would engage theretainer ring. When collar 175 was farthest back, the front wall 91 a ofpositioning collar would be flush with the front wall of this retainerring.

Of course, there are other methods to removable attach the main samplesubassembly 2 and these means can be modified in various ways. Anexample would be the elimination of the grooves 104 on body 10. Thoughthey provide a certain added safety margin, grooves 104 are notessential for the coupling means to work properly or effectively.

Back End Plate

Engaged with the rear wall 119 of body 10 is the front wall 117 of backend plate 118 as seen in FIG. 14. This engagement creates a staticannular seal between o-ring groove 120 and o-ring 121 of back end plate118 and rear wall 119 around central bore 13. An annular section 122with a longitudinal axis parallel and coinciding with the axis of thecentral bore 13 protrudes out from front 117 and rear 130 walls of backend plate 118 as seen in FIG. 14. Cut into the walls of the cylindricalbore 123 of this annular section 122 are one or more annular o-ringgrooves 124 (and 125) equipped with o-rings 126 (and 127). A doubleo-ring arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 14. The rear cylindricalportion 166 of valve operating rod 22 extends through cylindrical bore123. O-rings 126 (127) form a sliding seal between o-ring grooves 124(125) and cylindrical portion 166 of valve operating rod 22.Collectively, o-rings 121 and 126 (and 127) seal the inside of the valvefrom the outside environment and serve as a secondary seal against leaksof the process material to the outside should diaphragm 49 fail.Likewise, they serve. as secondary seals protecting the process from theoutside environment. Other means of sealing the valve interior from theoutside environment could also be used. For example, the seal formed ato-ring 121 between back end plate 118 and rear wall 119 of body 10 couldbe moved to an annular position on the alignment lip formed by theoutside circumferential wall 128 of the forward protruding portion ofthe annular section 122 in FIG. 14 which mates with circumferential wall129 of central bore 13. Similarly, the seal created between thecylindrical bore 123 of annular section 122 and the valve operating rod22 could be made by placing the o-ring grooves in the operating rod. Ifthis latter approach to sealing about rod 22 is chosen, it may benecessary to extend a portion of annular section 122 to a point closerto the back wall of spacer 26 but with a smaller outside diameter sothat it fits within the hexagonal bore 78 of rear nut 28. This willallow a longer continuous surface for the O-rings in the cylindricalportion 166 of rod 22 to seal with cylindrical bore 123. One of theadvantages of this arrangement is that of providing a longer alignmentsurface in back end plate 118 to engage operating rod 22.

Once the intent of plate 118 and its seals have been described, itshould be clear to anyone familiar with the art that many other sealingarrangements could be used so long as the sealing purpose is achieved.

Assurance of alignment of back end plate 118 with components of the mainvalve body 10 and, in particular, valve operating rod 22, is achieved bymating of opposing planar surfaces of front wall 117 of back end plate118 with rear wall 119 of body 10 as well as the close fit of thealignment lip created by the outside circumferential wall 128 of forwardprotruding portion of annular section 122 mating with an opposingcircumferential wall 129 of central bore 13 adjacent to its intersectionwith the rear wall 119 of body 10. Of course, it should be understoodthat proper alignment could be achieved in a variety of other ways.These could include: a series of alignment pins or screws in back endplate mating with an opposing set of alignment holes in body 10 (or viceversa); threading outside circumferential wall 128 to mate with thethreaded section of central bore 13 behind rear valve operating nut 28;and other arrangements of opposing alignment surfaces or walls machinedto relatively fine tolerances.

Back end plate 118 may be secured against rear wall 119 of body 10directly using screws, clamping or other suitable means or indirectly bybeing sandwiched between the rear wall 119 of body 10 and the forwardwall 168 of an automated actuator housing 41 (shown in FIG. 18) or theforward wall 131 of the trigger housing 109.

Coupling Shafts

In order to allow for easy, fast connection of the reciprocating shaftsof each of these subassemblies to one another, a means for coupling 200has been incorporated into the design. As illustrated in FIG. 14, valveoperating rod 22 extends through the central bore 13 of sample valvebody 10 and central bore 123 of back end plate 118. Just beyond the rearmargin of back end plate 118, rod 22 has a thick annular groove cutaround it, resulting in a section of narrow shaft. This narrow shaft isthe connector shaft 170. Behind connector shaft 170 is the remainingshort section of shaft, the connector cap 169.

The connector cap 169 has a greater diameter then the connector shaft170 as illustrated in FIG. 15. If the shaft with which it is to mate hasa greater diameter then that of the valve operating rod 22, the diameterof connector cap need not be reduded and can have a diameter the same asthat of valve operating rod 22 or larger. If, however, the mating shafthas a diameter only slightly larger, equal to or of smaller diameterthen that of operating rod 22, connector cap 169 should also have areduced diameter. However, it still must be larger in diameter then thatof the connector shaft 170. This is because connector cap 169 and shaft170 interlock in the same fashion with either the forward end of therear valve operating rod 113 at the front part of the manual triggeractuator subassembly 108 or the forward end of the actuator piston 39 ofautomated actuator 40 as seen in FIG. 16. Whereas the connector cap 169and shaft 170 form the “key”, the “lock” into which they fit is formedby two perpendicular intersecting slots in the mating actuator rod. Thefirst slot, the shaft slot (171 on the manual actuator in FIG. 15, 171 aon the automated actuator, in FIG. 16) for receiving the connectorshaft, is cut into the forward end of the actuator rod in a directionparallel and down through its central longitudinal axis. The secondslot, the cap slot (172 on the manual actuator, 172 a on the automatedactuator) for receiving the connector cap 170, is cut throughperpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The result is a “T” profile holeinto which the connector cap and shaft, also having a “T” profile, canfit as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16.

Although these slots can be through slots, the slots of the interlockingconnection shown in FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 are not. If the slots are notthrough slots, the resulting interlocking mechanism will be stronger,more reliable and durable. Besides the quick, easy connect-disconnectnature of this “lock and key” design, this type of connection does nothave the rigorous shaft alignment requirements as do other arrangementssuch as threaded connections.

Once the two shafts are mated, the two subassemblies can be pushedtogether and secured. The interlocking connection between the two shaftswill slide into the central bore of the rear subassembly where theycannot become disengaged until the subassemblies are again taken apart.This arrangement provides a safe, sure and effective connection that,once assembled, cannot inadvertently become disengaged as may be thecase with some other connections.

The rear end of the automated actuator piston 39 terminates in aconnector cap 169 a and connector shaft 170 a just like that of rod 22.This allows the user the freedom to attach the automated actuator alone,the manual trigger actuator alone or the automated actuator with thetrigger actuator attached behind that, providing an automated systemwith manual override capabilities. Using this design, switching actuatorcombinations can be made quickly, easily and without modification of theequipment or interference with the valve's on-line process operation.

Actuator Attachment

As indicated above, manual and automated actuators can be used withsample valve subassembly 2 to operate the valve. The benefits of usingautomated operators include higher levels of reproducibility bothqualitatively and quantitatively over the current manually operatedequipment. There is also the benefit of attendant-free operation. But ifthere is a power loss, a mechanical problem or an unanticipated samplingrequirement, automated systems can be clumsy or altogethernon-functional. In this case, manual systems are much more dependable,less expensive and do not require the support systems, such aspressurized air, electricity, etc. Then, again, manual systems are notnormally as qualitatively or quantitatively consistent and require anattendant to take a sample. Because of the variety of situations thatexist and because those situations change with frequency, this systemwas developed to offer the operator any or all operational optionswithout having to shut down the process to remove and modify theactuators on the valve.

The rear wall 130 of back end plate 118 and the rear wall of theautomated actuator 179 are both equipped with a means for aligning andattachment to opposing housings as can be seen in FIGS. 14 and 16. Themeans for alignment of these subassemblies includes a short cylindricalsection 122 (122 a with the auto-actuator) projecting rearward parallelwith the longitudinal axis of the body and centered about the centerlineof the actuating rods on each of the back end plate 118 and thepneumatic operator housing 41. To mate with these, the forward faces ofboth the pneumatic actuator housing 41 and the trigger housing 109 havesimilarly placed cylindrical bores or flange through holes 194 toreceive them.

The means for attachment of the actuators can be as follows. The frontwall 131 of the manual trigger actuator housing 109 can mate with eitherthe back wall 130 of the back end plate 118 or the back wall 179 of theautomated actuator housing 41. The front wall 178 of the automatedactuator housing 41 is essentially the same as the front wall 131 ofthat of the manual trigger actuator housing 109, the difference beingonly that the lower portion of front plate wall 132 has been removed inorder to allow trigger lever 111 to start further forward so that it canhave a longer stroke. Both of these walls mate with the back wall 130 ofthe back end plate 118.

FIGS. 14 and 16 show a pattern of holes for receiving bolts with onlythe pattern of holes 210 within body 10 having internal threads.Furthermore, the holes in the other flanges are through holes 194 whilethose in body 10 are blind. In this way, body 10 can be fitted not onlywith the automated actuator, which, in this case, is a pneumaticoperator 40, it can also be fitted with the manual trigger actuatormechanism 108 or both together. As an example, installing them bothwould entail positioning back end plate 118 on body 10 (if it is notalready in place) followed by the pneumatic operator housing 41 on backend plate 118 which would then be followed by positioning the triggerhousing 109 onto the rear wall of the pneumatic operator housing 41.Bolts 195 would then be passed from the rear through the pattern ofthrough holes in the front plate 132 of trigger housing 109, through thesame pattern of through holes in the pneumatic operator housing 41,through the same pattern in the back end plate 118 and into threadedbores 210 within body 10.

Of course, the threaded holes could be eliminated from body 10 and,instead be place in back end plate 118. Back end plate 118, itself, canbe attached to body 10 in a variety of ways, including clamps, threads,etc. Here, back end plate 118 is attached to body 10 by a separate setscrews 196 in back end plate 118 with a set of matching threaded holes197 in body 10. Of course, other means by which the opposing faces ofthese subassemblies are secured to each other could be clamp flanges,bayonet or any other appropriate means.

Manual Trigger Mechanism

As described above, the manual actuator subassembly 108 can either beattached directly to the valve at the back end plate 118 or indirectlythrough the automated actuator housing 41. Similarly, the rear valveoperating rod 113 which is the reciprocating member of the manualactuator subassembly, can be connected directly or indirectly to thevalve operating rod 22 as described above. Unlike other manualactuators, however, this manual actuator makes use of trigger action forquicker, more precise control of sample volume and better, more reliablesample quality. The manual trigger actuation mechanism primarilycomprises a retracting trigger lever which engages a transverse pin inthe rear valve operating rod. As the rear valve rod is retracted, itpulls the forward valve rod attached to the sealing tip back away fromthe valve orifice, opening the valve.

In its simplest form shown in FIG. 17, the manual trigger actuationsubassembly 102 includes a trigger housing 109 having a front plate 132,two side plates, 109 a and 109 b and a rear plate 109 c. Front plate 132serves as the site of attachment of the trigger subassembly 108 toeither the automated actuator 40 or the valve subassembly as describedabove. Rear plate 109 c has an elongated extension which extendsdownwardly and which serves as a palm rest 110. Of course, front plate132, side and rear plates 109 a, b and c can all be made from one-piece.

A central longitudinal bore 135 through the housing has an axiscoinciding with that of valve operating rod 22. Reciprocating withinbore 135 is rear valve operating rod 113 which is attached to valveoperating rod 22 either directly or indirectly through actuating piston39 of the automatic operator by the interlocking means 200 describedabove. Between the two side plates 109 a and 109 b is the trigger levercavity 137. Rear valve operating rod 113 extends from inside the centralbore 135 in front plate 132, through cavity 137 and out the other sidethrough the rear wall 138 of trigger lever cavity 137. Although centralbore 135 extends through rear plate 109 c, the rear wall of rear valveoperating rod 113 can be shortened so as only to come to a point flushwith the back wall of plate 109 c when rod 22 and sealing tip 32 arefully retracted. Thus, when the valve is opened, because the end of therear valve operating rod 113 is always enclosed, it cannot be interferedwith or cause injury to anyone who might be near it when it is actuated.

If the return spring 27 used to keep the valve in a fail close conditionis not too strong, a trigger lever 111 a can be attached directly to thebottom of rear valve operating rod 113 using screws. By placing the palmof the hand on the palm rest and pulling back on the lever with afinger, sealing tip 32 can be retracted from orifice 33, thereby openingthe valve. When the lever is released, return spring 27 willautomatically close the valve. This design is simple, effective andrelatively low cost to manufacture but it suffers from the followingflaws.

First, if the return spring is strong, retracting and holding it withone or even several fingers for a period may be hard. Second, becausethe handle is attached directly to the shaft, if something gets in itsway and nobody is around to clear it such as may be the case when usingautomated operation, the valve may incompletely open or close or notmove at all. Also, if someone is standing in the way of the triggerlever when the automated actuator reciprocates the valve, they could behit and injured by it. Lastly, the lever could be accidentally hit andthe valve inadvertently opened. If additional cost is not as importantas resolving these problems, then some or all of the following changescan be made to reduce or eliminate these weaknesses.

A more versatile alternative than direct attachment of the trigger leverto the valve operating mechanism is to provide a means by which toadjust the leverage provided by the trigger lever. This would make iteasier to use without effecting the valve's sealing characteristics.This can be accomplished effectively if the trigger lever is not coupleddirectly onto the rear valve operating rod 113. FIGS. 2 and 17illustrate one such arrangement.

FIGS. 2 and 17 depict a rectangular slot cut through the upper half oftrigger lever 111, creating two flat parallel lever arms 146. The leverarms 146 mate with the flat lateral sides 147 of rear operating rod 113.The uppermost portion of each of the two arms of the trigger leverterminates in an annular section 148. A short transverse cam 114, asseen in both FIGS. 2 and 17, is fitted through the two annuli such thatit protrudes out through the annuli 148 as shown in FIG. 17. The axis149 of the transverse cam 114 is generally perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis 144 of the rear valve operating rod 113 andcylindrical bore 135. Transverse cam 114 slides along a leverage slot150 in housing cover 112. Transverse cam 114 contains a transversethreaded bore 151 fitted with the threaded shaft 152 of positioning knob115. Where it extends below transverse cam 114, threaded shaft 152extends down between the lever arms 146 of trigger lever 111.

Positioning knob 115 is fixed in housing cover 112 by the placement ofthe knob retainer ring 116 in an annular slot 153 on threaded shaft 152on a side of housing cover 112 opposite positioning knob 115. The pointof engagement of transverse pin 155 in rear valve operating rod 113along the length of trigger lever 111 (and, thus, the leverage) can beset by changing the position of transverse cam 114 along leverage slot150. The position of transverse cam 114 along leverage slot 150 is, inturn, determined by its position along the threads of shaft 152.Consequently, the operator can adjust the leverage of the triggermechanism 108 simply by turning positioning knob 115.

As discussed earlier, rear valve operating rod 113 is attached toautomated actuator 39 or valve rod 22 by the interlocking means 200.Just to the rear of slots 171 a and 172 a of the interlocking means 200on rear valve operating rod 113, the sides of the cylindrical rod aremilled so as to have two parallel flat opposing external walls 147. Thedistance between the two arms 146 of trigger lever 111 is slightly morethan the thickness between the parallel walls 147 of rear valveoperating rod 111. Once installed, rear valve operating rod 113 canslide freely back and forth between arms 146 of trigger lever 111 butcannot rotate because of the engagement of the flat surfaced lateralwalls of rear valve operating rod 113 with the opposing flat surfacedarms 146 of trigger lever 111.

Although a non-threaded means of connection was used between rod 113 androd 22 or piston 39, elimination of rotational motion in this designwould permit threaded connections to be used. But this is not the mostimportant aspect of this design. Because the point of engagement of thetrigger lever 111 with transverse pin 155 is from the rear and becauserear valve operating rod 113 can slide independently backward betweentrigger lever arms 146, the valve can be actuated automatically withoutmoving the trigger lever 111. Thus, injuries can be avoided duringautomated operation. Furthermore, transverse pin 155 will always becorrectly positioned to engage the trigger lever arms 146 when manualactuation is required. The rear margin 199 of arms 146 of trigger lever111 where they engage transverse pin 155 have been rounded so as toreduce torque on rear valve operating rod 113 during retraction.

Trigger lever 111 is kept in the forward position and is not carriedback with the momentum of an automated retraction of the rear valveoperator rod 113 due to the application of forward spring tension actingon the lever arms 146. One end of a small utility return spring 201 isattached by a threaded spring anchor 202 into the inside wall of housingcover 112 while the other end is attached to the two lever arms 146through two small holes positioned above rear valve rod 113.

To check against inadvertent actuation of the sample valve, a safetycatch is incorporated into one side wall 109 a of the trigger housing109. Here, a three-position rocker switch 203 is used. When switchinginto the “locked” safe position, the right half 204 of the rocker switchis depressed all the way in. This makes the back portion 205 of therocker wedge in behind the transverse pin 155, locking pin 155 frommoving back. When a sample is to be taken, the operator can press on theleft half 206 of rocker switch 203 to move it to the neutral unlockedposition, freeing up transverse pin 155. Since rocker switch 203 isspring loaded, it will tend to stay in this position until switchedagain.

If the operator wishes, the valve can also be locked in the “opened”position. This can be accomplished simply by, first, pulling trigger 111all the way back to fully retract the valve operating mechanism andfully open the valve. At this point, transverse pin 155 is behind theback portion 211 of the left half 206 of rocker switch 203. Bydepressing the left half of switch 203 all the way to the third lockingposition and releasing the trigger lever 111, the back portion 211 ofthe left half 206 of switch 203 will engage transverse pin 155 and holdit there as the return spring returns the valve operating mechanismforward. The rocker switch can also be color coded on the sides so thatits exposed surfaces will quick indicate its status.

If adjustments to the spring tension acting on the sealing tip 32 orlimitations on the stroke of the valve are desired, a secondary springreturn can be incorporated by boring out the trigger housing centralbore 135 behind rear wall 138 of trigger cavity 137 and threading it tomake backstop bore 145. A retainer ring groove 207 is cut in rear valveoperating rod 113 and retainer ring 208 added. A washer 209 is addbetween retainer ring 208 and secondary return spring 27 a which isfitted over the back end of rear valve operating rod 113. Tension ismaintained and adjusted by a threaded back stop positioner 140. Backstop positioner 140 comprises a hollow cylinder 182 with a threadedoutside diameter which is attached to a cylindrical positioner knob 184by a annular spacer 183. Parts 183 and 182 have a through bore 141 largeenough to accept the diameter of the spring around rear valve operatingrod 113. Knob 184 does not have a through bore but to permit independentadjustment of the back stop and spring tension, it can be bored andthreaded. A threaded bolt can be adjustable threaded into it to set theback stop position. Otherwise, using backstop 140 to change the backstopposition will, at the same time, change the spring tension acting onsealing tip 32 unless secondary return spring 27 a is not included inthe assembly. By tightening back stop 140 all the way in, it can also beused as a safety lock to prevent the seal formed between the sealing tip32 and orifice 33 with the process from being broken unintentionally byimmobilizing the valve operating rod mechanism 159 in the sealingposition.

Alternative Manual Techniques

There are several other methods by which the valve rod may be actuateddirectly or indirectly.

1) DOUBLE PARALLEL SHAFT: An alternative to the above is to attach asecond (alignment) shaft to the rear wall of the valve body 10 with alongitudinal axis parallel but not coinciding with that of valveoperating rod 22. This alignment shaft extends further back so that whena finger catch or trigger lever having a rectangular upper portion withtwo horizontal bore holes is fitted onto the two parallel shafts andretracted to a point that, if coupled to the valve operating rod, wouldrepresent a fully open state, the end of the alignment shaft would stillextend back to the rear of the rear wall of the rectangular portion.

A retainer ring or other stop is attached toward but not at the end ofthe valve operating rod 22. A low power secondary return spring to serveas a trigger lever return is slid onto the alignment shaft and kept inplace from the rear by the attachment of a palm rest to the end of thealignment shaft. When the trigger handle is retracted, the retainer ringnear the end of valve operating rod 22 will engage the rear wall of therectangular portion of the trigger lever about the bore hole throughwhich it protrudes and retract valve operating rod 22, opening thevalve.

An advantage of this design over the one discussed earlier is that thealignment shaft minimizes torque on valve operating rod 22 and itsextension. Also, the secondary spring about the alignment shaft assuresthat the added friction created by the addition of the trigger leverwill not affect sealing performance of the valve. Further, an automaticoperator can be added to the valve and operated safely, the only exposedpart moving being the smooth valve rod, the reciprocating end of whichcan always be housed in a receiving cylinder in the palm rest. Adisadvantage is that there is no means for adjusting the power requiredto overcome the valve return spring.

2) CABLE ACTION: Still another alternative would be to have the triggerlever rotate about a cam in a housing extending out from the rear wallof the valve body and connecting to the palm rest in the rear, thehousing and the connection to the valve being similar to that describedabove. With one end of a cable, flexible band or other means attached tothe top of the trigger lever on the opposite side of the cam from thefinger catch, the cable would pass back into the palm rest, around apulley or other similarly functioning element in the palm rest and passforward along an axis coinciding with that of the valve operating rod22. It would attach to the rear of valve operating rod 22 at pin. Arotational trigger lever return spring would tend to keep the triggerlever in the returned position. If the position of the cam can berepositioned along the length of the trigger lever so that the lever armlengths can be changed, this design has all the advantages of the aboveas well as leverage adjustment. Various other arrangements can bearranged using gears assemblies, including rack and pinion designs.These can, however, become complex and expensive, with several movingparts.

Pneumatic Control

The pneumatic automated actuator 40, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 16 iscontrolled by the control means 4. This control means 4 can causemovement of the valve operating rod 22 by actuating the pneumaticactuator 40 (in this case, through electromagnetic actuator 212 andpressurized air 213) in order to reciprocate the valve operating rod 22in the central bore 13. When the manual trigger mechanism is attached tothe rear of the pneumatic actuator as was discussed above, and if, forsome reason, the control means or automatic actuator should fail, anoperator could simply reciprocate the valve using the trigger lever. Ifthe actuator 40 is connected but not to the trigger lever mechanism, theoperator could grasp the “keyed” rear end of pneumatic operator piston39 protruding from the rear of the actuator and use that to actuate thesystem. Lastly, if the valve is installed with neither the automatedactuator or manual actuator available, the valve can still be operatedby levering or otherwise grasping and pulling back on the “keyed” end ofrod 22 protruding from the rear of the valve.

Probe and Sensor

Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, a probe 20 is indicated within a probeorifice 19 of the drain passage 14. This probe 20 and orifice 19 canalternatively be located in the sample cavity 11 or alternatively withinboth the drain passage 14 and sample cavity 11. The probe 20 can be atemperature and/or pressure probe. This probe 20 is operativelyconnected to the means for detecting 4 a of the control means 4.

The means for detecting 4 a and probe 20 can provide for independentverification of the various aspects of the system's operation. Bycomparing a profile of a sampling system temperature or pressure whenthe system is operating correctly with profiles when various componentsof the system fail, a determination can be made by the means fordetecting 4 a of a system failure (abnormal operation). Moreover, adetermination can be made by the system as to the severity of thefailure and whether to abort further sampling cycles as well as to soundan alarm. The temperature or pressure profile is captured from the probe20 and fed to the means for detecting 4 a. Accordingly, if the diaphragm49, for example, were to rupture, the probe 20 could determine thiscondition. Moreover, if there was blockage in the inlet passage 12, thiscondition could be detected. The means for detecting 4 a with thecontrol means 4 can initiate appropriate action. This probe 20 can alsodetect if an adequate steam temperature has been reached during thesterilization cycle.

Sample Collection

Returning to FIG. 3, downstream from the drain passage 14 is means forcollecting sample 51 and a means for collecting drain 52. The means forcollecting a sample 51 includes sample drain valve block 8. This valveblock 8 has a diaphragm pneumatic valve 93 connected to the samplecollector 94. This sample collector can be a sample vial subassembly,for example. Also connected to the diaphragm pneumatic valve 93 is anelectromagnetic valve 95 with a pressurized air source 96.

The drain valve block 9 includes a diaphragm pneumatic valve 97connected to a disposal means 98. Also connected to the diaphragmpneumatic valve 97 is an electromagnetic valve 99 and a source 100 ofpressurized air. Similarly to the valves 67, 71 and 75, the diaphragmpneumatic valves 93 and 97 can be replaced by any known valves.Likewise, the valves 95 and 99 could also be replaced by other valves orthe valves 93 and 95 and the valves 97 and 99 could be combined into asingle unit. The electromagnetic valves 95 and 99 are operativelyconnected to the control means 4 as indicated in FIG. 3.

Feed/Drain Lines

Turning now to FIGS. 18 and 19, configuration for the inlet passage 12and drain passage 14 will be described. To one side of the central bore13 for the valve operating rod 22 is the inlet passage 12. This inletpassage declines towards the sample cavity 11.

Furthermore, the surfaces facing into the sample cavity 11, when endcap44 is in place, generally are angled in a declining fashion such thatflow is down and out of sampling cavity 11 through declining drainpassage 14. Thus, gravity alone will insure complete drainage of anymaterial entering the valve through either inlet passage 12 or orifice33 down and out through drain passage 14. Inset within the base of thesample cavity, leading away from the lower rear point of sealing ofo-ring 17 in groove 36 of cap 44 with body 10, is a drain collectiontrough 42 declining to and through opening 48 from internal cavity 11into drain passage 14. Drain collection trough 42 can actually be anopened extension of drain bore 43 up and into a side of the samplecavity 11, rather than terminating flush with the rear wall at opening48 into sample cavity 11 as can be seen in FIG. 19. In fact, thecollection trough 42 can extend up to the front of the sample cavity 11if so desired. Thus, drain collection trough 42 and drain passage 14incline downwardly away from the sample cavity 11. Likewise, inletpassage 12 can also be extended forwardly through the side wall tothereby terminate at or near the forward wall of the sample cavity. InFIG. 2 a, the entire internal cavity of body 10 forms a drainage basinwhich drains down from all sides to the opening to drain passage 14.With a path between lowest point of the opening of orifice 33 alwayshaving an unobstructed profile that descends at an angle greater thanthat of the ferrule in which it is installed and with the back wallbehind the drain 14 also sloping to that opening, the latest embodimentprovides an effective means for removing fluid (without pooling or holdup within the valve body) from vessel and conduits, even whenretrofitted into upwardly slanted ferrules.

In FIG. 18, the cap 44 has been omitted and the offset of the feed inlet47 to the sample cavity 11 can be seen. It should be appreciated thatcentral bore 13 may also be offset when physical size constraints invalve design require it (also illustrated in FIG. 19). At such times,orifice 33 of cap 44 will be similarly offset so as to align with theblunt sealing tip 32 of diaphragm 49 positioned on valve operating rod22. It has been shown that the cap 44 can be made an integral part ofbody 10, that a means to feed (including feed inlet 47) may not be anecessary inclusion in the device and that neither the feed inlet 47 (ifpresent) or the means for draining (including drain bore 43) may notneed to be offset from a (vertical) plane through the central axis ofthe valve body.

As can be seen in FIG. 19, the angle of inclination for the drainpassage 14 is less than the angle of inclination for the inlet passage12. Of course this relationship of the angles between the drain passage14 and inlet passage 12 can vary. For example, a greater angle betweenthe drain passage 14 and axis of the body can be provided than betweenthe inlet passage 12 and the axis of body 10.

Due to the positioning of the inlet passage 12 above the drain passage14, the position of declining drain collection trough 42 leading throughopening 48 to become drain passage 14 as well as the smooth, flushtransition between the drain passage and the bottom wall of draincollection trough 42 all with respect to sample cavity 11, a means 45for preventing accumulation of material in cavity 11 is formed. Thismeans will enable free flow of the sample from the sample cavity 11 tothe drain passage 14. Pooling of the sample will be avoided. Therefore,possible contamination of subsequent samples is avoided.

Also, drain passage 14 has an internal diameter of generally 6 mm. Thisis generally larger than the biggest sample particle drawn from vessel53. In that way, clogging of the drain passage 14 is avoided. Whilemaximum sample particle size is one variable to be considered whendesigning a valve for retrofit onto a vessel, other variables definingthe configuration of the existing ferrule that will receive the valveare also important. Below a mathematical relationship which includesthese variables will be discussed, showing how the variables may affecteach other and how this can be used to define critical parameters for afree-draining valve.

As seen in FIGS. 18 and 19, due to the offset mounting of inlet passage12 and outlet passage 14, it is possible, for example, to squeeze eachof these items within the 25 mm constraint for the outer diameter ofbody 10. In this manner, the body 10 can be retrofit into an existingapparatus. As noted above, the inner diameter of ferrule 1 is typically25 mm in many devices. While this dimension can change, it should beunderstood that the instant invention can be inserted into existingequipment without the need for retrofitting this equipment. Of course,when larger or smaller ferrule ports exist, the instant invention can bemade larger or smaller to accommodate these ferrules withcorrespondingly larger or smaller components.

As seen in FIG. 2 a, the inlet passage 12, drain opening 14 and draintrough 42 all can be accommodated within the arrangement shown withoutplanar offset. In other words, all feed and drain can be coaxial and/orcoplanar, but such an arrangement is not mandetory. This arrangementwould provide a greater flexiblility with the axis of the body.

Angles of Installation

In FIGS. 20-22, mounting of the apparatus of the instant invention isschematically represented. If the instant apparatus is to be mounted ina horizontally oriented ferrule 1 as shown in FIG. 20, the longitudinalaxis 65 of the body 10 will be generally horizontal. The longitudinalaxis 59 for the inlet passage 12 will be offset from axis 65 by an angleof approximately 18.5°. The longitudinal axis 58 for the drain passage14 will be offset from the longitudinal axis 65 of the body byapproximately 3°. Therefore, the slope for the inlet passage 12 isgreater than the slope for the drain passage 14. This helps to ensureproper drainage of the sample, steam, air, wash medium and/orcondensate.

As shown in FIG. 21, if the ferrule 1 is sloped downwardly, for example,by 15° from the horizontal plane h, the longitudinal axis 65 of the body10 will similarly be offset by 15°. Such a downward slope of 15° is astandard design for some ports in vessels or conduits 53. With thisdownward inclination, the longitudinal axis 58 of the drain 14 will beoffset about 18° from the horizontal plane h. The longitudinal axis 59of the inlet passage 12 will continue to have a downward slope. Thisaxis 59 will be offset from the horizontal plane h by approximately3.5°. Therefore, with a downwardly oriented ferrule 1, proper flow cancontinue to be had with the instant invention. Pooling of the sample andsteam, air, wash medium and/or condensate can be avoided in thisarrangement.

In the upwardly inclined ferrule 1 of FIG. 22, the longitudinal axis 58of the drain would have less of a slope than the longitudinal axis 59 ofthe inlet passage 12. Nonetheless, this arrangement continues to urgematerial through the system. For situations where the ferrule is slopingupward at an angle greater then the 2°, effective drainage can beaccomplished in either of two ways. The first is by means of extending atube up to orifice 33 and overpressuring the valve, in effect, vacuumingthe sample out by the low pressure created around the mouth of theextension of the drain line. The second method is to have a greaterangle of declination on the drain line and a lesser angle of inclinationto the feed line.

Determing whether or not a valve can be retrofitted to an existing portcan be done using the relationships described earlier. The latestembodiment described above provides a means by which material may beremoved through an upward sloping ferrule, contrary to intuition. Forexample, a ferrule with a upward slope of 15 degrees, a length of 1.0″and a diameter of 1.0″ can be fitted with a valve with an orifice havingat least 0.25″ diameter with a sealing face about the orifice of over0.4″ in diameter and with a internal drainage trough which has adeclining slope of at least 16 degrees. When installed in the ferrule,this valve has a net declination to its internal profile. This, inconjunction with the smooth, declining orientation of the internalcavity sides and rear wall leading back to seal face 320 combine to makethis an effective fully drainable valve even in this orientation.

In the present application, longitudinal axis 59 of inlet passage 12 maydecline by as much as 90 degrees, but at least by an amount greater thanthe amount of inclination of the ferrule. Similarly, the longitudinalaxis 58 for drain passage 14 may decline by as much as 90 degrees, butat least by an amount greater than the amount of inclination of theferrule. While flow related problems are less of a concern withhorizontal and declining ferrule installations, it is potentially a muchmore serious problem with inclined ferrules. The trend in the industryis toward inclined ferrules, particularly those at 15 degree angles ofinclination. With the incorporation of end cap 44 into body 10,eliminating the junction between these two and the creation of a draintrough 42 formed with the bottom of sample cavity 11 with all surfacesdraining down to and exiting through drain opening 14, the potential forsample and process contamination due to sample hold up and carry over increvices and pooling on non-draining surfaces has been minimized. Unlikeother designs, this is not dependent on flushing material out throughmultiple washes or high pressure flows. This most recent embodiment hasits surfaces optimized to promote free and full drainage.

Process Control

Process control for the instant invention is carried out under thedirection of the control means 4. As noted above, this control means 4can be a programmable logic controller, computer operated controller orany other suitable control means. The control means 4 permits theappropriate sequencing of the various valves of the instant invention.Collectively, the system sequences and times the opening/closing of eachvalve as well as the sampling device but will allow an operator toprogram the length of time each valve will remain open. This provides ameans by which the process control system can be adapted andincorporated into a variety of different process applications.

Different sized valves, different materials of construction, differentprocess flow temperatures and flow rates different cleaning or chemicalagents (steam, air, wash medium, etc.) and other process materials caninfluence the proper timing of the various facets of operation(sampling, cleaning, sterilizing, resampling, etc.). A single cyclesequence of the basic components of the system of the instant inventionwill now be discussed.

The control means 4 controls the functioning of the main samplesubassembly 2 in tandem with the five peripheral process flow controlvalves 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The control sequencing is laid out in FIGS. 25and 26. This sequence is designed to clean and sterilize the inletpassage 12, main sample subassembly 2 and drain passage 14 before eachsampling. This system will also purge the last of the sampling materialinto the disposal means 98. After the blunt sealing tip 32 closesorifice 33, the system will also be cleaned and resterilized betweeneach sampling.

The pure steam feed block 5, for example, will control the flow of steamto sterilize the system. Likewise, the pure air feed block 6 willcontrol the flow of pure air through the system for two purposes. First,this air will be blown through the inlet passage 12, sample cavity 11,drain passage 14 and to the disposal means 98 such that any samplingmaterial that might remain after a sampling is removed. This air is alsoblown down the drain passage 14 such that any steam condensate thatremains after the sterilization phase is completely removed. The pureair will both cool and dry the sampling system before the next sample istaken. The wash medium can be provided by the wash medium valve block 7to clean the system if steam is insufficient. Likewise, a combination ofsteam and wash medium can be used. The pure dry air 70 can also be usedto help flush the wash medium from the system and to dry the systemafter the use of wash medium.

The drain line block 9 will be open to drain away condensate, washmedium and the like during cleaning and sterilization. The sample vialblock 8, on the other hand, will be open to allow the sample material toflow into the sample collector 94.

In FIG. 25, valves 49, 71, 67, 93 and 97 are indicated by S0, V1, V2, V3and V4, respectively. As indicated in FIG. 26, a waiting period willfirst be encountered during one type of sampling operation. The valveindicated as V1 and V4 will be open. In other words, the diaphragmpneumatic valves 67 and 97 will be open. Steam will rush from source 66through inlet passage 12, sample cavity 11 and out drain passage 14 tothe disposal means 98 while valve 97 is still open. After an appropriateperiod of time, the valve 67 will be closed and the valve 71 will beopen. Pure dry air can then rush through the system to the disposalmeans 98. This pure dry air will not only force any remainingparticulate matter through the system but will also aid to cool and drythe interior of the apparatus.

In the timing chart of FIG. 26, a one-second delay is then indicated. Itshould be recognized that this delay could be omitted or could be for ashorter or longer duration. Sampling will next take place. In thisarrangement, the valve S0 and V3 are indicated as being open. In otherwords, the valve 49 will be opened to permit the sample to exit thevessel or conduit 53 through the port 54 thereof. The material will movethrough orifice 33 into sample cavity 11 and down drain 14 to the samplecollector 94. While it is not shown in the FIGS. 25 and 26 arrangement,it should be noted that the valve 93 can initially be closed and thevalve 97 opened such that a first portion of the sample will actually goto the disposal means, if so desired. In any case, valve 97 should closebefore valve 93 opens.

No valves are provided in the interior of the sample cavity 11 forpreventing the sample from entering the inlet passage 12. The valves 67,71 and 75 will be closed such that an internal pressure will besufficient to prevent the sample from traveling up inlet passage 12.Moreover, gravity also prevents the sample from traveling up the inletpassage 12. The apparatus A is therefore simplified and can be used inexisting vessels or conduits 53 without modification due, in part, tothe omission of extra valves. In other words, the relatively small sizeof body 10 can be maintained such that it is compatible with existingvessel or conduit ports. Moreover, potential sites of contamination areavoided by omitting such additional valves.

After a sufficient sample has been collected at collector 94, anotherone-second delay is indicated in FIG. 26. Again, no delay or a greateror lesser time period can be provided. The valve 49 indicated by S0 inFIG. 26 is then closed and the valve 71 is opened. Pure dry air willthen rush through the system in order force the sample in cavity 11 anddrain passage 14 into the sample collector 94. Accordingly, oneoperation of the apparatus of the instant invention has been described.It should be understood that the wash medium valve block 7 can also beoperated if so desired. However, in the arrangement of FIG. 26, the washmedium from source 74 is not used.

As previously noted, the arrangement in FIG. 24 (and FIG. 3) shows thebody 10 of the apparatus being inserted into a vessel or conduit 53.When stagnant layers 60 may be present in the vessel, a mountingarrangement shown in FIG. 24 can be used. This design places orifice 33beyond these stagnant layers 60. The apparatus used in the design ofFIG. 24 is similar to the arrangements of FIGS. 2, 13A or 13B. If theuser will never install the valve in a penetrating fashion, the cap 44need not have two o-rings and grooves on its outside circumference andcap 44 need not be quite as long as is shown in these figures. However,if two grooves are used, a single o-ring 34 can be moved between the twogrooves 35 or 35 a as needed. Of course, two separate o-rings could beprovided, one for each groove. However, when the apparatus A ispositioned as shown in FIG. 24 (or FIG. 3), it is preferred to omit ano-ring from the forward groove 35. In this manner, it is less likelythat material would become trapped at the forward, outer end of the cap44.

It should be appreciated that after the body 10 is mounted in thearrangement of FIG. 24, this body 10 is not movable once mounted.Rather, it extends within the vessel or conduit 53 for the predetermineddistance indicated during its operation. Of course, when this device isno longer needed, the means 57 for coupling can simply be detached andthis apparatus removed from the vessel or conduit 53 and readjusted. Dueto the forward o-ring groove 35, this body 10 can be mountedsubstantially flush with the wall 61 of the vessel or conduit 53, too.The o-ring groove 35 a with o-ring 34 will form a seal between body 10and vessel or conduit 53 when the apparatus A is extended as shown inFIG. 24. Alternatively, when the face of cap 44 is generally flush withthe interior 61 of vessel or conduit 53, an o-ring in groove 35 willform a seal between the apparatus A and the vessel or conduit 53. Theo-ring 34 can be moved from the rearward groove 35 a to the forwardgroove or a new o-ring 34 a can be inserted in groove 35 while therearward groove 35 a may or may not retain the o-ring 34.

Feed/Inoculation Means

Up to this point, the instant invention, has been discussed as asampling apparatus. As shown in FIG. 23, this instant invention can alsobe used as a feed/inoculation means. In FIG. 23, the apparatus A ismounted on the top of vessel 53. When used as a feed/inoculationapparatus, the instant invention can also be mounted on the side ofvessel 53.

The feed/inoculation arrangement shown in FIG. 23 is similar to thesampling arrangement previously discussed. However, the drain passage 14extends well into the sample cavity 11 to prevent pooling of the sampleor cleaning material in this arrangement. The opening 48 for drainpassage 14 is generally adjacent the wall of cap 44 having orifice 33.

As indicated in FIG. 23, means 101 is provided for feeding the sample.This means 101 will supply the sample through the inlet passage 12,sample cavity 11, orifice 33 and into the vessel or conduit 53. Afterthe sample has been charged to the orifice or conduit 53, the sealingtip 32 can be moved to close orifice 33. Then the supply means 50 canfeed steam, dry air and/or wash medium through the inlet passage 12,sample cavity 11 and out of the drain passage 14 to the means forcollecting drain 52.

Indicated schematically in FIG. 23 is a switching means 102 utilizedwith the supply means 50 and means 101 for feeding sample. This means102 selects whether the means 101 will supply the sample through theinlet passage 12 or whether the supply means 50 will clean and/orsterilize the inlet passage 12 and other downstream structure.

Apart from having the end 48 of the drain passage 14 located at the endof the sample cavity 11, the diameter of the drain passage 14 is of asufficiently small diameter such that the pressure in sample cavity 11(created from inflow through passage 12) will be sufficient to force anymaterial fed through inlet passage 12 up and out drain passage 14. Inthis manner, the particle size of the sample fed to the sample cavity 11is limited by the size of the inlet passage 12. When the supply means 50is operated, sufficient air, steam, and/or wash medium can be fedthrough the inlet passage 12 in order to force any sample or othercontaminant through the drain passage 14 to the means for collecting 52.Otherwise, the design of the feed/inoculation arrangement shown in FIG.23 is similar to the sample assembly previously discussed.

Advantages

The instant apparatus A has several advantages. Its geometry will enablethe body 10 and its contents to be relatively small such that it can beretrofitted into existing vessels or conduits. For example, the 25 mmstandard size for ferrules 1 can be accommodated with the instantinvention.

The instant invention provides a uniquely designed biocompatible,resterilizable flexible diaphragm which allows the sample extractionorifice to be flush mounted with or penetrated into the vessel orconduit 53. A customized subassembly design is possible in which all ofthe contamination-prone opposing sliding/rotating surfaces are sealedfrom the sample. For example, the bellows 30 separates and isolates asample from the operating portions of the valve 49. Other controlfeatures such as the steam feed valve block 5, pure dry air valve block6 and wash medium valve block 7 are removed from the sample. Sincecontamination-prone parts are removed from the process, the instantapparatus A is a more effective overall sanitary design.

The instant apparatus A is free-draining and will avoid pooling. Pocketsbetween the sample cavity 11 and the drain passage 14 are not presentsuch that pooling or accumulation of a sample or drain is furtheravoided.

With the exception of seals about the cylindrical sealing portion 166 ofrod 22, all secondary seals are static to provide the most effectivebarrier to leakage within the system and/or to the outside environment.Further, the interfaces between the abutting surfaces on the processside (where crevice-related carryover contamination often occurs) aresealed with the static seals (with the exception of the speciallydesigned primary seal which is a diaphragm-type seal). The instantinvention avoids the need for dynamic o-ring seals. Void volume in thesample cavity 11 is minimized. Tortuous flow is also avoided. Therefore,minimal loss of sample material during the sampling process andmaximized reproducibility and accuracy of measured samples is had withthe instant invention. By using small volumes, only small errors inmeasurements will be made.

Within this 25 mm outside diameter design discussed, the instant designpermits particles of at least six mm outside diameter particles to passfrom the vessel or conduit 53 through the sample cavity 11 and out ofthe drain line 14 to the sample collector 94. Therefore, physicaldistortion of the sample constituents is avoided, thereby assuring thatsamples taken are not biased due to size exclusion.

The trigger mechanism, which allows the valve to be rapidly opened andclosed, allows more precise control of sample volumes and, at the sametime, reduces sample waste. Furthermore, because sample volumes can becontrolled much more precisely, even small volumes, operators will nothave to resort to “throttling” which can cause physically and chemicalchanges in samples through shear. Lastly, the trigger actuator mimicsthe action of automated actuators. This means that its samples willcorrelate better with those taken using automated actuators then willother manual actuator designs.

The trigger mechanism and or the automated actuator can readily be addedor removed from the valve, providing easier maintainability.Furthermore, because the valve is sealed and has the primary returnspring within, these change-out operations can be done without affectingthe valve's on-line service.

All static threaded connections and abutting surfaces of the instantinvention are placed behind static o-ring seals. This removestrouble-prone interfaces from contacts with process flow.

The control means 4 and means for detecting 4 a of the instant inventionprovide for automatic sampling or inoculation. Therefore, operator erroris avoided. Manual override also permits sampling even in the case ofpower failure.

Pressure or temperature profiling of the system and independent indirectverification enables a more reliable operation.

Accordingly, with the instant invention, an accurate subsample of theprocess composition can be had. This arrangement can be used withexisting systems or with new systems. Maintenance of the instantapparatus can easily be carried out.

Because the body 10 of the instant invention can be machined from asingle piece of metal, plastic or other material, if so desired, theneed for additional junctures is eliminated. This also avoids potentialpoints for contamination to the sample. Also, the bulb design of thesealing tip 32 avoids dead space.

Due to the control means 4, the timing sequence can easily be changed.For example, an operator can change the length of each of the phases inthe sampling process and, using feedback from the temperature and/orsensor probe 19, determine if any error has occurred in the system.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A valve installed in an inclined ferrule in a wall of a vessel orconduit, an axis of an internal bore of said ferrule having an angle ofinclination in a direction away from the vessel or conduit, comprising:a valve body, said valve body having an internal drainage path with anangle of declination in a direction away from the vessel or conduitgreater than or equal to said angle of inclination of said axis of saidinternal bore of the ferrule, a forward end of said internal drainagepath having an orifice; and a valve operating rod having a sealing tipengageable with said orifice for opening and closing said orifice, saidvalve operating rod having an axis at an angle to an axis of saidinternal drainage path.